MEMBER NEWS

EVA Stands with Rosa María Hernández and Family

Equal Voice Action official statement on the detention of Rosa María Hernández

Equal Voice Action stands with the family of Rosa María Hernández in denouncing her detention by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Texas and calling for her immediate release to her family.

Rosa María, a 10-year old girl with cerebral palsy, was detained following emergency gallbladder surgery at a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, despite the Department of Homeland Security’s own policy that hospitals are sensitive locations where enforcement actions should not occur, particularly given Rosa María’s medical condition and lack of threat to U.S. security.

Rosa María, who is undocumented and has lived in the U.S. since she was three months old, was identified by CBP officials while stopped in an ambulance at an immigrations checkpoint en route to the hospital. She is now being held in a federal facility, where she could be detained for weeks without seeing her family or receiving the ongoing care and support she needs.

Moreover, we recognize that Rosa María’s case is not unique but is rather part of a broader pattern of CBP enforcement actions under the Trump Administration in which undocumented individuals who pose no clear or reasonable criminal or security threat to U.S. interests, including minors, deep-rooted family members, and those in sensitive locations, have been subject to arrest, detention, and deportation.

Equal Voice Action was founded to lift up the voice and power of poor and low-income families, particularly those who too often have had no or limited input in shaping the policies and institutions that have tremendous impact on our lives. As such, we call for the immediate release of Rosa María to her family and to her home – in the U.S. And, more broadly, we call for a humane, common-sense, and family-friendly immigration and enforcement policy that recognizes and respects the fundamental value and dignity that families of diverse immigration status, economic standing, and background bring to our great nation.

The American Civil Liberties Union is spearheading the campaign to secure the release of Rosa María Hernández to her family. Click here to learn more.